The Process Podcast - interviews exploring survival as a creative

Based in Wimberly, TX, Jordan Moser does many things. He’s a retired professional ballet dancer, filmmaker, choreographer, musician, activist, and now a soon-to-be-dad. Although he’s been making and sharing music for most of this life, he released his official debut record, Long Night in 2019 on Austin-based label, Keeled Scales.

In this episode, we talk about his creative and professional evolution, his appetite to always be doing something creative, challenges he faces in pursuing so many interests, his lack of an official practice, what to expect from his next album, and more.

[Read more in the show notes](http://theprocess.co/jordan-moser-interview/).

Bryan Bruchman is a podcast host, filmmaker, illustrator, photographer, and musician. He films live in-studio sessions for BTR Today and hosts and produces two podcasts on the same network: The Subliminal Inevitable Show where he interviews indie record labels and The Music Digest where he and guests discuss the latest music releases. He also plays guitar in the band Mount Sharp. Oh, and he's a husband and dad and also illustrates and photographs people, sometimes for fun, sometimes for money.

Needless to say, he has a lot going on but manages to balance it all. However, that doesn't stop him from wishing he had more time and space to spend with each thing he loves. That's just one of the topics we cover in this episode.

[Read more in the show notes](http://theprocess.co/bryan-bruchman-the-subliminal-inevitable-show-interview).

In 2015 in British Columbia’s Fraser Valley, Blessed was formed from a shared creative objective. From the start, its original four members found themselves naturally amalgamating elements of post-hardcore, minimalism, new wave, krautrock, and punk. The result is a blend of experimental art-rock that (borrowing words from Post-Trash) “defies expectations, eschews common structures and forms, and breeds its own alien landscapes.”

They’ve released two critically lauded EPs and an LP called Salt. They kindly let us use their song, “Endure” as our intro music for this season of The Process. For this episode, we spoke with Drew Riekman (vocals and guitar) and Mitchell Trainor (bass). Other band members are Reuben Houweling on guitar, Jake Holmes on drums, and Matt McKeen on guitar and keys.

[Read more in the show notes](http://theprocess.co/blessed-band-interview/).

Carl Shane has been making music under the moniker Kal Marks for over a decade, exploring topics of life, death, failure, and the edges of humanity. Based in Boston, MA, the heavy-hitting post-rock / art-rock band (if you had to attach a genre to them) is known for their tireless work ethic and propensity to push themselves harder, reshaping their formula and expanding their sound with every release.

Like many bands, they’ve taken a hard hit from COVID-19. Plans to record and tour have come to a shrieking halt, and they’ve lost their day jobs. They’ll be releasing demos and home recordings to help pay off their van on Bandcamp soon, so keep an eye out.

As we recorded this episode last November, we don’t talk about their current situation. But we do talk about their songwriting process, the influence of literature, the impact of algorithms, their wide range of influences, what to expect from their next record, and more.

[Read more in the show notes](http://theprocess.co/carl-shane-kal-marks-interview/).

We had the honor of chatting with the band Deeper’s singer and guitarist, Nic Gohl and guitarist Drew McBride. Based in Chicago, Deeper also consists of drummer Shiraz Bhatti and bassist Kevin Fairbairn. The band formed in 2014 with original guitarist Mike Clawson along with Nic, Shiraz, and Drew on bass. They released their debut self-titled record in 2018 followed by their newly released and much-anticipated sophomore record, Auto-Pain this March.

In this episode, we talk about canceling tour, navigating a pandemic, the process of recording and writign Auto-Pain, the experience of losing a bandmate and friend, how they've learned to let go of what they can't cotrol, and more.

[Read more in the show notes](http://theprocess.co/deeper-interview/).

Greg Vegas is the founder and president of International Rescue Artist Development and the record label, Declared Goods. He's worked with Holy Ship, Little Children, Ed Vallance, Blackstrap, The Heart Of The Sun, Lights On, The Arthur Brothers, Gringo Star, The Radio Dept., and more. He's also a musician, a well-known saxophone player, and has worked in a variety of roles in the music industry for most of his life.

In this episode, Greg lends his experience and expertise to share scrappy and smart ways to build a career as a musician/band. It was recorded way before the days of covid over the summer of 2019. However, I listened to it through a current/post-covid lens and I think with some critical thinking, these ideas can and should still be applied. Getting in front of eyeballs is still important, being creative in doing so is crucial, getting your team aligned in the early days is a necessity. You have to practice to get better at your art. We cover so much more in this episode.

[Read more in the show notes](http://theprocess.co/greg-vegas-declared-goods-interview).

Andy Byers is a multi-faceted, multi-disciplinary artist. He’s a filmmaker and also a sculptor. He’s a set and prop designer who also creates window displays and dreams up new worlds for any occasion. He makes puppets and costumes and acts with them too. He’s had work shown in several museums including the Smithsonian Zoo, the Wolfsonian Museum, the Royal Ontario Museum, among many others.

He’s worked with major brands on film shoots and set designs. He collaborated with Isabella Rossellini on her Green Porno series and the live play, Link Link Circus. He has created more works than we have room to list and continues to create every day.

In this episode, we dive into how Andy became an artist, his fascination with certain painters, his experience becoming an ordained minister and how that experience deepened his connection to the universe, the impact art school had on him, the importance of developing compassion for yourself, learning how to do anything on the fly, the art and beauty of collaboration, how he sustains his life and work, defining success, and more.

[Read more in the show notes](http://theprocess.co/andy-byers-interview/).

Chappy Hull is a songwriter and musician in Nashville, TN. His band, Shell of a Shell just released an excellent new album called Away Team. He’s also one half of the band Gnarwhal and plays lead guitar for the band Pile. When he’s not working on his music, he’s co-running the DIY music space, DRKMTTR in Nashville, helping his dad with his puppet show, or working various gigs.

In this episode, we talked about the inspiration for Away Team, his writing process, Shell of a Shell’s approach to collaboration, getting motivated when you’re feeling down, Nashville’s music scene, tips for touring, and more. [Read more in the show notes](http://theprocess.co/chappy-hull-shell-of-a-shell-interview).

Joni Sternbach is a native New Yorker. She holds a BFA in Photography from the School of Visual Arts and an MA from New York University/International Center of Photography. She uses both large format film and early photographic processes to explore the present-day landscape and to make environmental portraits. Her work centers on our relationship with water, contrasting some of the most desolate deserts in the American West to iconic surf beaches around the world.

Joni’s work is included in many public collections with recent acquisitions from the Joslyn Art Museum, Harn Museum, MOCA, and the National Portrait Gallery in London. She is the recipient of several grants and prizes including the Clarence John Laughlin Award, NYFA and second prize winner in the Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize competition 2016. Her monograph, Surf Site Tin Type was published by Damiani Editore in March 2015.

In this episode, we talk about capturing emotional landscapes, the wet plate process, the importance of taking a chance and finding a community, the value of making books, what feminism in art means to her, and more.

[Read more in the show notes](http://theprocess.co/joni-sternbach-interview/).

Trevor Peterson is the founder and owner of Fire Talk records, an independent record label representing artists spanning genres and styles. Fire Talk celebrated its ten year anniversary in 2019 and represent artists and bands such as Deeper, Dehd, Fran, Corey Flood, Dark Tea, Patio, Media Jeweler, Weeping Icon, among many others. Trevor was also in the band, Woodsman for many years dedicating most of his professional life to music.

In this episode, we talked about the balance of being a parent and business owner in the music industry and NYC, the realities of running a music label today, placing efforts between digital and physical music distribution, what it takes to grow a record label, switching focus from band to label, advice for those interested in starting a label, and way more.

[Read more in the show notes](http://theprocess.co/trevor-peterson-fire-talk-records-interview).